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Skye was slowly dragging Fitz down the corridor. Fitz was putting on a big show of fighting her, but without any substance. Once they reached the kitchen, though, his fight started to become real.
"Don't," Skye whispers so softly. "Please. It's been so long since I got to watch something with the two of you."
Fitz looked like he wanted to argue, but he shrugged it off and moved past her fully into the kitchen.
Meanwhile on the couch before the TV Jemma wasn't oblivious to the exchange between the two who had just entered the room. Silently she stood from her place on the couch, where she'd thought she and Skye were going to lean on each other like they used to back on the BUS during a girls night show watch, and moved to the side chair, set on its own.
Before Fitz and Skye moved towards the couch Trip, Mack and Hunter enter the communal room clearly having come from the gym.
"Oh, popcorn!" Hunter exclaimed, stealing a handful from a passing Fitz.
"What you watching tonight, girl?" Trip asked grinning at Skye.
"Resuming my Whovication," Skye beamed.
Trip nodded smiling as he gave Jemma's shoulder a squeeze as he passed her headed to the further couch.
"What?" Mack asked, looking between them all confused.
At the same time Hunter vaulted over the nearest couch exclaiming, "Brilliant! Which season you up to then?"
"Doctor Who education," Skye explained.
"What?" Mack repeated.
"Hunter, I didn't know you were a fan of Doctor Who," Jemma remarked, giving her fellow Brit a surprised and warm smile.
"Yeah, my mum was big on it. She became a fan back when the Doctor kidnapped his granddaughter's teachers. It always makes me think of her."
"Wait, is this that weird sci-fi show you make me watch with you back on the Rome mission?" Mack asked.
"Yep," Hunter nodded, taking another handful of the popcorn that was in Fitz's lap as he took the seat next to him.
"What sci-fi show isn't at least a little bit weird?" Trip asked, offering the space next to him on the couch. "If it doesn't involve way advanced tech, freaky badass powers, aliens, or alternate timeline of world events, does it even fit in the sci-fi genre?"
"Good point," Mack conceded, but he didn't take the seat next to Trip. "I'm not sure I'm gonna sit and watch this, though."
"Why not?" Skye asked, popping her head over Fitz's from next to him on the couch, to look at the larger agent.
"Because he has an irrational fear of death by robot and these shows only feed his imagination," Bobbi explained giving Mack a nudge as she passed him.
"Hey, it's not irrational!" Mack snapped. "One day someone is gonna go too far and they'll develop sentience and try to kill their human over lords!" He saw everyone trying to stifle their laughter at his outburst. "Aw, shut up. One day I will say I told you so."
"But thought we'd all be killed by the robot army?" Hunter teased.
"Shut up and watch your damn weird British sci-fi," Mack grumbled.
"Who is a go, Simmons!" Skye exclaimed.
The reminded that she was there was enough to make Fitz tense up from his spot between Skye and Hunter. Jemma didn't fail to notice this and shrank back in her seat a little as she started the episode "Asylum of the Daleks". It really was too much for her to hope that even this could be normal, wasn't it?
Silence fell over the group as the episode started.
Amy breezed past the assistant saying, "I don't have a husband."
"WHAT!?" Skye exclaimed, her shock written all over her face.
"Skye, I told you to watch the web-series before this episode," Jemma softly prompted from the side.
"I thought you were just being all picky about the timing of things," Skye mumbled.
Jemma rolled her eyes. "The Ponds are on the outs, and the web-series at least gives you a heads up for that."
"But why? They can't spilt! They're the Ponds! Amy and Rory 4EVA! What could possibly come between them?"
"Keep watching, love," Hunter says nodding back to the show. "They'll get to that."
…*…
"Yeah. Speaking of Rory… is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Are we doing this now?"
"Well, what happened?"
"Oh, stuff, you know. We split up. What can you do?"
"What can I do?"
"Yes, fix them! Fix it!" Skye practically shouted at the screen.
"Nothing. It's not one of those things you can fix like you fix your bow tie. And don't give me those big, wet eyes, raggedy man. It's life. Just life. That thing that goes on when you're not there."
"No, he has to fix it, he's the Doctor."
"Skye," Fitz muttered, "just… watch."
…*…
"Do you know how you make someone into a Dalek? You subtract love, add anger. Doesn't she seem a bit too angry to you?"
"Well, somebody's never been to Scotland."
"Ain't that the truth," Hunter exclaimed nudging Fitz.
"Push off you English bastard," he mutter angrily back but with a smile on his face.
Jemma had to bite her lip to stop her own smile. She remembered a similar conversation happening between her and Fitz the first time they watched this together. Except he'd made the comment that the anger probably came from having to live on the same island as the British.
…*…
"In no particular order we need to rescue Oswin from the wreckage, escape from this planet and fix Amy's and Rory's marriage."
"Okay, I'm counting three lost causes, anyone else?"
Jemma could feel Bobbi's eyes on her. She didn't dare move her head for fear of drawing attention to herself. She would not cry. Not here. Not in front of everyone. Not in front of Fitz. He had enough going on without her.
Jemma started breathing slowly through her mouth to get air past the growing lump in her throat. Why did she agree to this? Why didn't she beg off not long after the episode started, claiming she was tired from a long day?
Feeling another set of eyes on her, Jemma slowly scanned the room. Hunter, Fitz and Skye were fully absorbed in the episode. As was Mack, who was pretending he wasn't from the bench near the kitchen. Looking to the other couch she could see both Trip and Bobbi were studying her.
Damn it!
She would not cry here! She won't! She will bawl her eyes out once she get back to her room, but she won’t do that here.
She swore this to herself.
Not that she was good at keeping her promises to herself lately.
…*…
"Okay, look at me. I'm going to be logical. Cold and logical, okay? For both of our sakes, for both of us, I'm going to take this off my wrist and put it on yours."
"Why? Then it'll just start converting you. That's not better."
"Yeah, but it will buy us time because it will take longer with me."
"Sorry, what?"
"It subtracts love. That's what she said."
"What's that got to do with it? What does that even mean?"
"It's just arithmetic. It will take longer with me because, well, we both know, we've both always known that… Amy, the basic fact of our relationship is that I love you more than you love me. Which today, is good news because it might just save both our lives."
"How can you say that?"
"Two thousand years waiting for you outside a box, saying it because it's true. And since you know it's true, give me your arm. Amy!" (slap)
"Don't you dare say that to me. Don't you ever dare."
"Amy, you kicked me out!"
"You want kids. You have always wanted kids. Ever since you were a kid. And I can't have them."
"I know."
"Whatever they did to me at Demons Run, I can't ever give you children. I didn't kick you out, I gave you up."
"Amy, I don't…"
"Don't you dare talk to me about waiting outside a box because that is nothing, Rory, nothing compared to giving you up."
"Give me your arm. Let me put this on."
"Get off!"
"Just give me your arm!"
"Don't touch me!"
…
"It's the Doctor's. When you were sleeping…"
"A Time Lord. What's the bet that he doesn't even need it?"
"Then why didn't he just tell us?"
"He's… fixing them," Skye chocked out, her voice tight.
As Jemma felt the tears begin falling down her face she gets to her feet to leave.
She can't do this.
She can't stay here.
She doesn't need to look to know that Skye, Fitz and Hunter haven't even noticed she's moved. Jemma feels the sympathetic eyes of Bobbi and Trip follow her. Keeping her head down to try and hide the tears now streaming down her face she's startled when feet suddenly appear before her.
Lifting her head she meets Mack's eye. There's a hard, protective glint in them. Another shaky breath escapes her as she waits for his next accusation. His next warranted attack on her for abandoning her friends. She sees him open his mouth.
But then nothing comes out. His eyes soften as he steps out of her way.
Jemma can't think why he's suddenly changed. However she's not going to question it too much right now. Seizing the opportunity before her she flees the room, hoping she'll make it to her bunk before the next sob can escape the tight hold she's trying to regain over her emotions.
Whatever Mack had been expecting to see in Simmons's eye, that much pain was not it.
He hadn't been expecting her to be that upset over a TV show. But it probably wasn't just the show. Then what the redhead on the show had just said struck him.
"…that is nothing, Rory, nothing compared to giving you up."
Then his own accusation at her rang in his ears.
"From where I'm standing the only thing that makes him worse is you."
"I know. Why do you think I left?"
Guilt hit Mack like Thor with his hammer. He's been treating her like a big bad when she's been hurting just as much as Turbo. The only difference was she was keeping quiet. She was taking it out on herself instead of lashing out like Turbo some times did to show his frustration. What did she do when she felt like that? Mack felt horrid as he realised he didn't have the slightest idea how Simmons would choose to vent.
To listen to the way people talked about them before… they were tight. Tight like Mack had never know two people to be. And it wasn't just a few people who said that. Everyone who knew them before said it.
Simmons didn't give up on Fitz because it was too hard.
Simmons give Fitz up to save him and let him heal.
They were just like the couple on their damn British show!
Except… except they don't have a friend who knows them both well enough to be able to steer them back on the right track with each other. All the people who knew them had misjudged the situation, Mack possibly worse than anyone. And none of them knew what to do.
He owned Simmons one hell of an apology for the way he's been treating her. Not even touching the fact she probably didn't think she deserves his apology. He'd let things grow to this point because he didn't bother getting more info before he put her down.
Mack was snapped out of thoughts by the noise of the group. The episode had finished while he was lost in his thoughts.
"Hey, where'd Simmons go?" Skye asked, looking around the room confused and concerned.
"She headed off to bed a little while ago. Looked like she was falling asleep on her feet," Mack offered, covering for the scientist.
"She has been putting in crazy hours in the lab since she got back," Trip added with a nod.
Reluctantly Skye agreed with them. Simmons was in the lab before Skye finished her morning exercises with May and was still there when she's been going to bed.
She had to remember to check in with her. It has been too long since they had a good girls only chat. And they needed to get it in now before the next crazy adventure here started.
"So, Skye," Hunter started breaking her out of her thoughts. "What are your thoughts on the episode and Soufflé Girl?"